Decadent Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake

This to-die-for glazed lemon bundt cake recipe features luscious buttery lemon cake infused with lemon syrup, drizzled with a lemon glaze and topped off with a sprinkling of lemon sugar! A HEAVENLY bundt cake recipe.

Showstopper Lemon Bundt Cake With Lemon Glaze

In my opinion, bundt cakes are highly underrated... I mean, not only are they insanely easy to make, but the variety of gorgeous pans make your cake look spectacular all on its own.

Meaning you can forgo using any frosting altogether. Naked cakes are TOTALLY in these days!

OR you can also dress up a bundt cake by decorating it with glazes, syrups, sprinkles, infused sugars, and more. All of these serve to highlight the beautifully patterned top, instead of covering it up.

For example, this glazed lemon bundt cake with its lemon icing LOOKS impressive and like you spent a TON of time on it. But in reality, it's an easy recipe for bundt cake that even beginners can tackle!

The buttery lemon cake part of this recipe for a lemon bundt cake can totally stand on its own. Or you can use any combination of the lemon syrup, glaze, and/or sugar that sounds good to you.

But when you go all-in with ALL three? This lemon bundt cake is a total SHOWSTOPPER!! Also? You should really make it for the lemon lover in your life right now...

Which Bundt Pan Is The Best?

If you're new to baking bundt cakes, I suggest starting with a classic bundt cake pan. The simple shape and nonstick finish make removing a bundt cake from pan much easier. Be sure to also carefully read through the bundt cake tips I've provided after the recipe card.

After you've figured out the ins and outs for how to release a bundt cake from a pan, you can move on to the more intricate pans. They can be tricky, and you have to be even more careful to grease them well. But the tradeoff is worth it for the beautiful designs!

For the lemon bundt cake pictured in this post, I used this heritage bundt cake pan. But I've got my eye on this adorable jubilee bundt cake pan as my next purchase.

I could seriously get a little crazy with collecting ALL the bundt cake pans! And apparently a lot of bakers do...

The Best Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

Just about any cake recipe can be adapted to be baked in a bundt pan. But if you're searching for a truly fabulous recipe to try your pan out, this lemon bundt cake recipe is IT!

With its tender crumb, moist texture, and bright, tangy lemon flavor, it's the cake that everyone will be asking you to make again and again.

My kids ask me to make it ALL the time -- birthdays, holidays, Sunday dinners, and for no special reason at all. Whether you're looking for spring bundt cake recipes or the perfect bundt cake for Easter, this is it! It's just THAT GOOD...

How To Decorate A Bundt Cake

So I know I said that bundt cakes don't really need any adornment -- and I stand by that. Typically I just give them a dusting of powdered sugar and call it good. It highlights their swoops and swirls beautifully!

But I couldn't resist topping this lemon bundt cake off with a drizzle of glossy lemon glaze and a generous sprinkle of lemon sugar on top. However, you can easily skip them both and still wow your guests. The real star of the show is the luscious buttery lemon cake, which is infused with simple lemon syrup after baking.

Right now I bet you're thinking, "Infused with lemon syrup? Come on, Tara -- that sounds kind of difficult..." But, I promise it's a LOT less time intensive than it sounds, and I think you'll adore the results!

A Couple Of Quick Nots

1. If you want to make this cake with lemon glaze as pictured, I recommend preparing the lemon simple syrup while your cake is baking. Then prepare both the lemon glaze and lemon sugar while it's cooling.
2. You'll need a total of four fresh lemons that you've scrubbed clean. I suggest choosing organic lemons if at all possible, since you'll be zesting them. The zest from three of the lemons will go into the cake batter, and the zest from the remaining lemon will be used in the lemon sugar.

How To Make Lemon Syrup

The lemon syrup I infuse in this lemon bundt cake is essentially just a basic recipe for simple syrup with one change. It uses lemon juice instead of water, which gives a bright, zingy flavor.

Mix together the juice of three fresh lemons (about ½ cup) with half cup of granulated sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the lemon simple syrup has thickened slightly to a pure maple syrup consistency. Allow it to cool.

BTW, this simple lemon syrup recipe is also a fabulous way to infuse some extra lemony flavor in lemon poppy seed muffins!

How To Make Lemon Glaze For Bundt Cake

Making a glaze for a lemon bundt cake is also just as simple! Fresh lemon juice adds a bit of tang to this easy lemon glaze made with confectioners' sugar.

To make this lemon glaze for cake, mix together ¾ cup confectioners' sugar and one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Slowly add additional lemon juice, about a teaspoon at a time until the glaze reaches a thick but pourable consistency.

This simple recipe for lemon glaze icing is super versatile! Use it on pound cake, cookies, lemon scones, lemon quick bread, and more.

How To Make Lemon Sugar

Last but not least, this lemon infused sugar is a gorgeous finishing touch on this lemon bundt cake! The lemon zest sugar combo adds another layer of lemon flavor, along with a satisfying bit of crunchy texture.

Making this infused lemon sugar could not be easier. Simply stir together the remaining zest of one lemon with tablespoon of granulated sugar with a fork. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to infuse.

Triple Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

I get it... Infusing this lemon bundt cake recipe with lemon syrup, then drizzling on a lemon glaze, and finally sprinkling lemon sugar over it IS a bit decadent and over the top. But you don't HAVE to make all three (although I HIGHLY recommend it!).

If you're pressed for time or even just feeling a little lazy, which I totally get, PLEASE at least make the lemon syrup. TOTALLY. WORTH. IT!!

Lemon Bundt Cake Tips For The Prettiest Cakes

Making a bundt cake should not be intimidating. So if you're worried about how to get a bundt cake out of the pan, I've got some helpful bundt cake baking tips to share. These are useful for this lemon bundt cake, as well as pretty much any bundt cake recipe.

Spoiler: it all starts with the prep.

How To Prepare A Bundt Pan

Taking care to prepare the bundt pan well is the first step to ensure that your cake releases from the pan easily. Use a pastry brush to grease the bundt pan well with shortening, making sure to get into all of the crevices. Then dust it with flour or cocoa powder, depending on the flavor of cake you're preparing. For this lemon bundt cake recipe, you'll obviously want to choose flour.

Another option is to spray the bundt cake pan well with a product like Baker's Joy.

How Full To Fill A Bundt Cake Pan

To avoid making a mess of your oven, fill the pan to the proper level. Boxed cake mixes and even bundt cake recipes can vary, so fill your bundt cake pan no more than ¾ of the way full to avoid overflow.

Spoon the lemon bundt cake batter into the pan and tap it gently on your countertop after filling. Air pockets in your batter can leave holes in your finished cake. This well help release any air bubbles that may have formed. Finally, use a spatula to even out the surface of the batter.

How Long To Bake A Bundt Cake At 350 Degrees

Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Place the filled bundt pan on a rimmed cookie sheet for baking. This helps to ensure that the pan is sitting level, as well as to catch any excess batter should your cake overflow.

How Do You Know When A Bundt Cake Is Done?

I suggest that you start checking your bundt cake for doneness about 8-10 minutes before the baking time stated in your recipe. For this lemon bundt cake, you'll want to start checking it when it's been baking for about 45 minutes.

Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it's fully set. As soon as the toothpick comes out clean and crumb-free, it's time to remove your cake.

Bake your bundt cake just until done, as over baking can make it difficult to remove the cake from the pan. The most common reason reason for over baking is that your oven runs hotter than the temperature you've set it to. You may want to pick up an oven thermometer to check the true temperature.

How To Remove Cake From Bundt Pan

Remove the bundt cake from the oven set it on a wire cooling rack. For this lemon bundt cake recipe, now is when you will poke holes in the cake and pour the lemon syrup over it.

For all bundt cakes, allow your cake to cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan. After cooling, tap the cake pan on the countertop and shake it gently to help it release. Then place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake pan and flip the whole thing over.

Since you prepared your bundt pan well, it should release easily from the pan. If it doesn't pop right out, let it set for 5 to 10 minutes and let gravity loosen the cake. Allow your cake to cool completely before glazing.

See, it's really not so hard! Your gorgeous lemon bundt cake should slide right out of the bundt pan.

And if for some reason it doesn't? You can salvage it by turning it into a yummy trifle. Just cut it into chunks and top them with some whipped cream and fresh fruit. Fresh raspberries would be excellent!

Happy Baking!!